Ink jet recording method

ABSTRACT

An ink jet recording method is provided in which an ink jet head having a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array which is arranged along the first nozzle array, in which the distance between the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array is 15 mm or greater and a nozzle density of the first nozzle array and a nozzle density of the second nozzle array are 600 dpi or greater is used, and while varying the relative position of the ink jet head in a direction intersecting an array direction of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array with respect to a recording medium, an ink composition is adhered to the recording medium by performing a scanning which discharges the ink composition at a frequency of 12 kHz or greater from nozzles in the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording method.

2. Related Art

In the related art, various methods have been used as a recording methodfor forming an image based on image data signals on a recording mediumsuch as paper. Among these, in an ink jet system, it is possible toefficiently use an ink composition and running cost is low since the inkjet system is not expensive and the ink composition is discharged ontoonly the necessary image portion to directly form an image on therecording medium. Furthermore, the ink jet system makes little noise,and therefore, it is excellent as a recording method.

In recent years, applying the ink jet recording system to dyeing ofcloth (textile printing) has been studied. For example, an ink jet inkcomposition is disclosed in which in order to provide durability andcolor fastness against washing to a textile which is ink jet printed, anaqueous vehicle, a colorant and a crosslinked polyurethane dispersantare included, a colorant is soluble or dispersible in the aqueousvehicle and a weight ratio of the colorant to the crosslinkedpolyurethane is at least about 1.0 (for example, refer toJP-T-2007-522285). Moreover, a fluorescent ink for an ink jet printingcontaining inorganic phosphor particles in order to provide thefluorescent ink for the ink jet printing which solves the problems offading and bleeding, has a light emission with high luminance for a longperiod of time, and expresses a color and an image different from thosevisually observed under a visible light when a special excitation lightsuch as a black light is irradiated is disclosed (for example, refer toJP-A-2003-96340).

In the case of printing on cloth, a solid image with a color may berecorded in order to form a color image with the excellent concealingproperty. Furthermore, in the case of printing on dark cloth, a whiteimage may be recorded on the cloth as a solid image in advance in orderto improve the appearance of a color image by concealing the cloth, or awhite solid image may be recorded in order to record a white image withthe excellent concealing property on the cloth. However, in the methodin the related art, there are problems in which contamination occurs bythe adhesion of an ink composition to a nozzle plate and a cleaningfrequency is increased. Furthermore, there are problems in which theconcealing property of an image is also poor, and a printing speed and adrying speed are also low.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an ink jetrecording method in which contamination by the adhesion of an inkcomposition to a nozzle plate is unlikely to occur, a cleaning frequencyis low, images with the excellent concealing property can be printed anda printing speed is excellent.

The present inventors performed thorough studies. When an inkcomposition lands on a recording medium, ink mist (hereinafter, simplyreferred to as “mist”) is generated. Normally, the adhesion to a nozzleis small since the ink mist can be diffused in an entire ink jetrecording apparatus and the diffused mist is recovered by a fan.However, when the ink composition is discharged from all the nozzles ata predetermined frequency, in particular, contamination around thenozzles by the mist is frequently observed. By air flow due to the inkdroplets discharged from all the nozzles of a nozzle array, an air layeris formed by the air flow called an air curtain along the line of thenozzle array. In this case, it is considered that the ink mist between ahead and a recording medium cannot move beyond the air curtain, andtherefore, the mist remains around the nozzle.

Such a phenomenon is commonly observed in the case where an image havinga large amount of adhered ink is recorded in order to improve theconcealing property. In the case of recording a solid image as describedabove, the ink composition is discharged from all the nozzles at apredetermined discharging frequency so as not to slow down the printingspeed. Then, it is considered that by air flow due to the ink dropletsdischarged from all the nozzles of the nozzle array, an air layer isformed by the air flow called an air curtain along the line of thenozzle array, and therefore, the ink mist remains.

When the ink mist remains as described above, the adhered amount of theink composition to the nozzle plate between the nozzle arrays isincreased. Particularly, since the adhesion of the mist around thenozzle is also increased, the number of nozzles which cause a dischargefailure (non-discharge and deflection) are increased, and therefore, itis necessary to increase the frequency of cleaning for removing thecontaminant of the ink composition by wiping the nozzles with a wiper.

Furthermore, it is found that the ink mist is generated depending on thesize of an ink droplet. The ink mist is formed of ink droplets whichcannot land on a recording medium or formed of smaller ink dropletscalled satellites, separated from an ink droplet body. For this reason,in the case where the ink droplet is large, the air resistance is low,all the ink droplets can land on a recording medium, and therefore, themist is unlikely to be generated. However, when the ink droplet islarge, the amount of the ink which lands on a recording medium isincreased or the thickness thereof is increased, and therefore, an inkdrying speed is reduced. Therefore, the amount of the ink which lands isreduced or the thickness thereof is reduced by reducing the size of inkdroplets, and therefore, an ink drying time can be shortened. Theattempt is made to shorten the time required to record a color image ona white image. However, in this case, the ink mist is likely to begenerated. Therefore, the inventors have found that the problems can besolved by widening the space between the nozzle arrays and setting apredetermined printing condition and have completed the invention.

That is, the invention is as follows.

[1] An ink jet recording method in which an ink jet head having a firstnozzle array and a second nozzle array which is arranged along the firstnozzle array, in which the distance between the first nozzle array andthe second nozzle array is 15 mm or greater and a nozzle density of thefirst nozzle array and a nozzle density of the second nozzle array are600 dpi or greater is used, and while varying the relative position ofthe ink jet head in a direction intersecting an array direction of thefirst nozzle array and the second nozzle array with respect to arecording medium, an ink composition is made to adhere to the recordingmedium by performing a scanning which discharges the ink composition ata frequency of 12 kHz or greater from nozzles in the first nozzle arrayand the second nozzle array.

[2] The ink jet recording method described in [1], in which an adheredamount of the ink with respect to the recording medium is 150 mg/inch²or greater.

[3] The ink jet recording method described in [1] or [2], in which theink composition includes a solid content of 12% by mass or greater.

[4] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [3], inwhich the ink composition includes a coloring material, a resin emulsionand a water-soluble solvent.

[5] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [4], inwhich the ink composition is a white ink composition including titaniumoxide.

[6] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [5], inwhich recording is performed by performing a plurality of the scannings.

[7] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [6], inwhich the recording medium is cloth.

[8] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [7], inwhich the recording medium is supported by a recording medium supportportion having a surface formed of a resin, from the opposite side ofthe side opposed to the ink jet head of the recording medium.

[9] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [8], inwhich a one-time discharged ink amount of the ink composition which isdischarged from one nozzle is 10 ng or less.

[10] The ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [9], inwhich the ink jet head has another nozzle array for discharging anotherink composition different from the ink composition on at least one sideof the side which is on the opposite side of the second nozzle array, ofthe first nozzle array and the side which is on the opposite side of thefirst nozzle array, of the second nozzle array.

[11] An ink jet recording apparatus, in which recording is performed bythe ink jet recording method described in any one of [1] to [10].

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of a first nozzlearray and a second nozzle array.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a driving signal.

FIG. 3 is an example of a block diagram of an entire constitution of an(entire) ink jet recording apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the invention (hereinafter,referred to as “the embodiment”) will be described in detail withreference to the drawings as necessary. Further, the invention is notlimited thereto, and various modifications are possible withoutdeparting from the gist of the invention. Moreover, in the drawings, thesame reference numerals are given to the same elements, and theoverlapping descriptions will not be repeated. In addition, a positionalrelationship such as upward, downward, leftward and rightward is basedon the positional relationship shown in the drawings unless statedotherwise. Moreover, the dimensional ratio of the drawings is notlimited to the ratio shown.

Ink Jet Recording Method

In an ink jet recording method of the embodiment, an ink jet head havinga first nozzle array and a second nozzle array which is arranged alongthe first nozzle array, in which a distance L1 between the first nozzlearray and the second nozzle array is 15 mm or greater and a nozzledensity L2 of the first nozzle array and a nozzle density L2 of thesecond nozzle array are 600 dpi or greater is used, and while varyingthe relative position of the ink jet head in a direction intersecting anarray direction of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle arraywith respect to a recording medium, an ink composition is adhered to therecording medium by performing a scanning which discharges the inkcomposition at a frequency of 12 kHz or greater from nozzles in thefirst nozzle array and the second nozzle array.

1. Ink Jet Head

In the ink jet recording method of the embodiment, the ink jet headhaving the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array which isarranged along the first nozzle array, in which the distance L1 betweenthe first nozzle array and the second nozzle array is 15 mm or greater,and the nozzle density of the first nozzle array and the nozzle densityof the second nozzle array are 600 dpi or greater is used. FIG. 1 is aschematic diagram showing an arrangement of the first nozzle array andthe second nozzle array, and each black dot shows the position of anozzle opening of the nozzle. FIG. 1 is a diagram of when a nozzle plateof the head is viewed from the side of the recording medium and a rightand left direction is a scanning direction.

1-1. Distance L1 Between First Nozzle Array and Second Nozzle Array

The distance L1 between the first nozzle array and the second nozzlearray is preferably 15 mm or greater, more preferably 18 mm or greaterand still more preferably 19 mm or greater. When the distance L1 is setto 15 mm or greater by widening the space between the nozzle arrays tobe in the ranges, or by not using a nozzle array between these nozzlearrays, contamination by the adhesion of the ink composition to thenozzle plate is unlikely to occur, and a cleaning frequency is reduced.In addition, a discharging stability of the ink tends to be improved. Inaddition, the distance L1 between the first nozzle array and the secondnozzle array is preferably 100 mm or less, more preferably 50 mm orless, still more preferably 30 mm or less, and particularly preferably25 mm or less. When the distance L1 is in the above ranges, the head canbe further reduced in size.

1-2. Nozzle Density L2

A nozzle density L2 of the first nozzle array and the second nozzlearray is preferably 600 dpi or greater, more preferably 720 dpi orgreater and still more preferably 1000 dpi or greater. When the nozzledensity L2 is in the above range, a concealing property is improved. Inaddition, the nozzle density of the first nozzle array and the secondnozzle array is preferably 2000 dpi or less, and more preferably 1500dpi or less. When the nozzle density L2 is in the above range, theproduction cost of the head tends to be further lowered.

In FIG. 1, the nozzle arrays of each color are arranged from the left inthe order of Y (yellow), M (magenta), W (white), W (white), C (cyan),and K (black). The first nozzle array (W) and the second nozzle array(W) are not particularly limited as long as the nozzles are arrangedside by side, and the nozzles may be arranged in one straight line andthe nozzles may be arranged so as to have an array width. As W shown inFIG. 1, the nozzles may also be arranged in a staggered arrangement(portion enclosed by a dashed line in FIG. 1). By arranging the nozzlessuch that the nozzles have the array width, a wider space in which apressure chamber communicating with the nozzles is installed can beensured. Moreover, an array width in the case where the nozzles arearranged so as to have an array width, that is, in FIG. 1, the distance(array width L3) between the lane α and the lane β is preferably 5 mm orless, and more preferably 3 mm or less. The lower limit value of thearray width is preferably 1 mm or greater, and more preferably 2 mm orgreater. In the case where the nozzle arrays have the array width, thedistance L1 between the first nozzle array and the second nozzle arrayis a distance between the nozzle closest to the second nozzle array inthe right and left direction of FIG. 1 among the nozzles of the firstnozzle array and the nozzle closest to the first nozzle array in theright and left direction of FIG. 1 among the nozzles of the secondnozzle array.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the head preferably has another nozzlearray for discharging another ink composition different from the inkcomposition on at least one side (hereinafter, simply referred to as“the outer side of the first and the second nozzle arrays”) of the firstnozzle array which is on the opposite side of the second nozzle arrayand the second nozzle array which is on the opposite side of the firstnozzle array. In FIG. 1, the nozzle arrays of color ink compositions ofY, M, C, and K on the outer side of the first and the second nozzlearrays (W) are shown as the other nozzle arrays. The spaces between Mand W, and C and W nozzle arrays are preferably ½ or less, and morepreferably ⅓ or less of the distance L1. When the space between thefirst nozzle array and the other nozzle array, or the space between thesecond nozzle array and the other nozzle array is in the above range,there is a tendency that the head can be further reduced in size.

When there is not the nozzle array for discharging the other inkcomposition between the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array,in the nozzle plate, there is a tendency that the effect on the nozzlesof other colors is small even when a portion which is between theopenings of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array iscontaminated with the ink composition of a predetermined color. Theother ink composition is an ink of which the composition is differentfrom the ink discharged from the first nozzle array and the secondnozzle array, for example, an ink of which the type of a coloringmaterial is different.

2. Scanning Method

In the ink jet recording method of the embodiment, while varying therelative position of the ink jet head in a direction (hereinafter, alsoreferred to as “a main scanning direction”) intersecting an arraydirection of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array,preferably in a direction perpendicular with respect to the recordingmedium, a scanning which discharges the ink composition at the frequencyof 12 kHz or greater from the nozzles in the first nozzle array and thesecond nozzle array is performed. The head is preferably a serialprinter which performs recording by a plurality (twice or more) of thescannings with respect to the recording medium. In this case, a dotformation density of an image and the amount of the ink of the entireimage can be increased, and in the case of using a white inkcomposition, there is a tendency that the concealing property is moreensured, and in the case of using a color ink composition, there is atendency that higher colorful image can be obtained. On the other hand,the configuration as a line printer which performs recording by singlescanning of the head with respect to the recording medium may beemployed.

3. Discharging Method

In the ink jet recording method of the embodiment, the ink compositionis discharged from the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array atthe frequency of 12 kHz or greater. A discharging frequency is 12 kHz orgreater, preferably 20 kHz or greater, more preferably 30 kHz orgreater, and still more preferably 40 kHz or greater. When thedischarging frequency is in the above range, a printing speed tends tobe more excellent. Moreover, the upper limit of the dischargingfrequency, which is not particularly limited, is preferably 150 kHz orless, more preferably 100 kHz or less and still more preferably 50 kHzor less. When the discharging frequency is in the above range, a dryingspeed tends to be more excellent. The discharging frequency can becontrolled by a discharging mechanism described later.

The amount of one ink droplet of the ink composition discharged at onetime which is discharged from one nozzle is preferably 17 ng or less,more preferably 10 ng or less, and still more preferably 9 ng or less.When the amount of the ink is in the above range, the drying speed tendsto be more excellent. In addition, the amount of one ink droplet of theink composition which is discharged from one nozzle is preferably 1 ngor greater, more preferably 3 ng or greater and still more preferably 5ng or greater. When the amount of the ink is in the above range, dotscan be formed at the high dot formation density with an excellent dryingspeed and an excellent printing speed. The amount of the ink of one dropof the ink composition which is discharged from a nozzle can becontrolled by a discharging mechanism described later.

Discharging Mechanism

The ink jet recording apparatus moves the head along the main scanningdirection, and discharges ink droplets from the nozzle openings of thehead while being interlocked with the movement, thereby recording animage on the recording medium. For example, the discharging of inkdroplets is performed by inflating and deflating a pressure generatingchamber which communicates with the nozzle openings.

For example, the inflating and deflating of the pressure generatingchamber is performed by using the deformation of a piezoelectrictransducer. In such a head, the piezoelectric transducer is deformeddepending on a driving pulse to be supplied, and by this, the volume ofthe pressure chamber is changed, and a pressure change is generated inthe ink composition in the pressure chamber by the volume change,whereby ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle openings.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus, a driving signal is generated byconnecting a plurality of driving pulses in series. On the other hand,print data including the gradation information is transmitted to thehead. Then, only the required driving pulse is selected from the drivingsignal and the selected driving pulse is supplied to the piezoelectrictransducer on the basis of the transmitted print data. Thus, the amountof ink droplets discharged from the nozzle openings is changed dependingon the gradation information.

More specifically, for example, in an ink jet recording apparatus inwhich the four gradations formed of non-recording print data, small dotprint data, medium dot print data and large dot print data are set, theink droplets having the different amount of the ink are dischargeddepending on each gradation.

In order to realize the four gradation recording, for example, a drivingsignal as shown in FIG. 2 can be used. As shown in FIG. 2, the drivingsignal connects a first pulse signal PAPS1 which is arranged in theperiod PAT1, a second pulse signal PAPS2 which is arranged in the periodPAT2, a third pulse signal PAPS3 which is arranged in the period PAT3, afourth pulse signal PAPS4 which is arranged in the period PAT4, a fifthpulse signal PAPS5 which is arranged in the period PAT5 and a sixthpulse signal PAPS6 which is arranged in the period PAT6 in series, andit is a pulse-train waveform signal which is repeatedly generated with arecording period PATA.

In this case, the first pulse signal PAPS1 is the first driving pulsePADP1, the second pulse signal PAPS2 is the second driving pulse PADP2,the third pulse signal PAPS3 is the third driving pulse PADP3, thefourth pulse signal PAPS4 is the fourth driving pulse PADP4, the fifthpulse signal PAPS5 is the fifth driving pulse PADP5 and the sixth pulsesignal PAPS6 is the sixth driving pulse PADP6.

These driving pulses PADP1 to PADP6 all have the same waveform and aresignals which can independently discharge ink droplets. That is, whenthe respective driving pulses are supplied to the piezoelectrictransducer, the amount of ink droplets capable of forming small dots aredischarged from the nozzle openings.

In this case, by increasing and decreasing the number of the drivingpulses supplied to the piezoelectric transducer, gradation control canbe performed. For example, small dots can be recorded by supplying onedriving pulse, medium dots can be recorded by supplying two drivingpulses, and large dots can be recorded by supplying three drivingpulses.

Here, the medium potential VM shown in FIG. 2 is referred to as a biasvoltage. The bias voltage is always supplied to the piezoelectrictransducer. In other words, the potential of the piezoelectrictransducer is maintained in an intermediate state between the lowestpotential VL and the highest potential VH. By keeping such anintermediate state as the state at the time of starting the driving, avolume change can be generated at the inflation side and at thedeflation side.

For example, when a driving frequency of one recording cycle is set to7.2 kHz, a frequency of one driving pulse becomes 43.2 kHz. Accordingly,when six driving pulses are applied to a piezoelectric element in onerecording cycle, six ink droplets can be discharged, and dischargingfrequency in this case becomes 43.2 kHz. In addition, in the case wherethe driving frequency of one recording cycle is set to 7.2 kHz, whenthere is an intention to set the discharging frequency to 21.6 kHz, anink composition may be discharged by applying only three driving pulsesto every other out of six driving pulses PAPS to the piezoelectricelement. Similarly, when there is an intention to set the dischargingfrequency to 14.4 kHz, an ink composition may be discharged by applyingonly two pulses to every two out of six driving pulses to thepiezoelectric element.

In addition, the amount of the ink per one ink droplet can be slightlyadjusted by adjusting the potential difference between voltage VL andVH. Moreover, one recording cycle corresponds to the recordingresolution, and one pixel is recorded in one recording cycle.

4. Adhesion

In the ink jet recording method of the embodiment, an image is formed bya discharged ink composition adhering to the recording medium. Afteradhering, a heating step which heat-treats the recording medium to whichthe ink composition adheres may be also included. By the heat treatment,it is possible to fuse a resin (polymer) capable of being included inthe ink composition onto the surface of the recording medium, and it ispossible for water to evaporate. As a result, a friction resistancetends to be more excellent.

As the heat treatment, which is not limited to the following, a heatpress method, a normal pressure steam method, a high pressure steammethod, and a thermofix method are exemplified. In addition, as a heatsource of heating, which is not limited to the following, an infraredlight (lamp) is exemplified. Further, the temperature at the time ofheat treatment may be a temperature at which a resin (polymer) capableof being included in an ink composition can be fused and water canevaporate, and it is preferably in the range of about 150° C. to 200° C.

After the heating step, the recording medium may be washed and dried. Atthis time, a soaping treatment, that is, a treatment of washing off anon-fixed pigment with a heated soap solution may be performed asnecessary.

In this manner, it is possible to obtain a recorded material in which animage derived from the ink composition of the embodiment is formed onthe recording medium such as cloth. The recorded material has anexcellent coloring property since generation of cracks, irregularitiesand dirt can be prevented, and also has an excellent friction resistancesince the fixation (adhesiveness) of the ink composition is excellent.

4-1. Adhered Amount of Ink Composition

The adhered amount of the ink composition with respect to the recordingmedium is preferably 50 mg/inch² or greater, more preferably 150mg/inch² or greater, and still more preferably 200 mg/inch² or greater.When the adhered amount is in the above range, the concealing propertytends to be more excellent. In addition, the adhered amount ispreferably 400 mg/inch² or less and more preferably 300 mg/inch² orless. When the adhered amount is in the above range, the printing speedand the drying speed tend to be more excellent.

4-2. Dot Formation Density

“Dot formation density” refers to a formation density of each inkdroplet which is discharged on the recording medium, and is representedby the horizontal direction (main scanning direction, a width direction)of the recording medium×the vertical direction of the recording medium(sub-scanning direction, transport direction) (respective dpi). On theother hand, “recording resolution” refers to the density of the minimumrecording unit (pixel) capable of controlling the gradation on the basisof the print data. In some cases, the dot formation density is the sameas the recording resolution. However, it is not necessarily the same.The dot formation density in the embodiment, which is not particularlylimited, can be set in the range of 1440 dpi to 8640 dpi, and in therange of 1440 dpi to 2880 dpi in the main scanning direction and thesub-scanning direction.

5. Recording Medium Support Portion

The recording medium is preferably supported by a recording mediumsupport portion having a surface formed of a resin, from the oppositeside of the side opposed to the ink jet head of the recording medium. Ifthe recording medium support portion is a surface formed of a resin, theweight thereof is light, and therefore, it is not necessary for a motorof the support portion transport device to be powerful. In addition, ifthe support portion is formed of a transparent resin, positioningworkability is improved when the recording medium is fixed. In addition,in the case where the surface of the recording medium support portion isformed of a resin, static electricity is likely to be generated due tothe friction with the recording medium when the recording medium is setto on the support portion. When the static electricity is generated,mist is likely to be generated. For this reason, in the case of therecording medium support portion having a surface formed of a resin, theneed to solve the problem by applying the invention is particularlygreat.

In addition, the recording medium is also preferably supported by therecording medium support portion having a surface formed of a metal. Inthe case of using the recording medium support portion having a surfaceformed of a metal, the generation of mist is reduced, and therefore,contamination by the adhesion of the ink composition to a nozzle plateis suppressed, and the cleaning frequency tends to be more reduced. Thereason thereof is assumed to be that when the recording medium is set onthe recording medium support portion, both are rubbed against eachother, and therefore, static electricity is generated. However, in thecase of a surface formed of a metal, even if both are rubbed againsteach other, static electricity is not generated, and therefore, inkdroplets are not hindered from reaching the recording medium by staticelectricity and the cause of mist generation is not formed. However, thereason thereof is not limited thereto.

6. Printer

FIG. 3 is an example of a block diagram showing an entire constitutionof an (entire) ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording bythe ink jet recording method of the embodiment. An ink jet printer 1 hasa transport unit 20, a carriage unit 30, a head unit 40, a sensor group50 and a controller 60. The ink jet printer 1 which receives a printsignal PRT from a computer 110 having a display device 120 controlsrespective units by the controller 60 and performs recording on therecording medium. The controller 60 has a unit control circuit 64, a CPU62, a memory 63 and an interface portion 61. The head unit 40 has thehead and the discharging mechanism, and the discharging frequency at thetime of recording and the amount of the ink and the like are adjusted bycontrol of the head unit 40 by the controller 60. A carriage unit movesthe head along the main scanning direction. A transport unit transportsthe recording medium in the transport direction.

Ink Composition

As the ink composition used in the embodiment, which is not particularlylimited, an aqueous ink and a non-aqueous ink (solvent-based ink and thelike) are exemplified. The ink composition, which is not particularlylimited, preferably includes a coloring material, a resin emulsion and awater-soluble solvent. Hereinafter, the additives (components) which areincluded or can be included in the ink composition will be described indetail. Moreover, the ink composition discharged from the first nozzlearray and the ink composition discharged from the second nozzle arraymay be the ink compositions having the same composition (components andcontent thereof are the same) as each other, or may be the inkcompositions having different compositions from each other. In the caseof forming an image (for example, white image) using two nozzle arrays,the ink compositions having at least the same kind of a coloringmaterial is preferably used and the inks having the same components ismore preferably used.

The ink composition preferably includes a solid content of 7% or more,more preferably includes the solid content of 12% or more, still morepreferably includes the solid content of 15% or more and particularlypreferably includes the solid content of 16% or more on a mass basis asthe lower limit. When the solid content is in the above range, theconcealing property of a recorded material tends to be excellent. Inaddition, the upper limit of the solid content is preferably 40% orless, more preferably 35% or less, still more preferably 30% or less andparticularly preferably 25% or less. When the solid content is in theabove range, since components which become contaminants by the adhesionis relatively small, contamination by the adhesion of the inkcomposition to a nozzle plate is unlikely to occur, the cleaningfrequency tends to be reduced, and the discharging stability tends to beexcellent. The solid content is included in the ink and is notvolatilized when the ink is dried. The solid content is components whichremain on the recording medium as a solid at room temperature over along period of time after the ink is dried, and is components excludingwater and organic solvents. Mainly, a coloring material, a resin and thelike correspond to the solid content.

1. Coloring Material 1-1. White Pigment

The ink composition discharged from the first nozzle array and thesecond nozzle array preferably includes a white pigment. A white inkcomposition including a white pigment is recorded as a solid image inorder to conceal a dark cloth with a white image and improve theappearance of a color image which is recorded on the white image. Atthis time, the ink composition is discharged from all the nozzles at acomparatively high discharging frequency so as not to slow down theprinting speed. Accordingly, an air curtain is particularly likely to beformed, contamination by the adhesion of a nozzle plate is increased,the number of nozzles which cause a discharge failure (non-discharge anddeflection) are increased, and therefore, it is necessary to increasethe cleaning frequency of the nozzle. For this reason, in the case of awhite pigment constituting the white ink composition, the need to solvethe problem by applying the invention is particularly great.

As the white pigment which is included in the white ink composition,which is not limited to the following, white inorganic pigments such astitanium oxide, zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, antimony oxide and zirconiumoxide can be exemplified. The white organic pigments such as whitehollow resin particles or polymer particles can be also used in additionto the white inorganic pigments.

As a color index (C. I.) of the white pigment, which is not limited tothe following, C. I. Pigment White 1 (basic lead carbonate), 4 (zincoxide), 5 (mixture of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate), 6 (titaniumoxide), 6:1 (titanium oxide containing other metal oxides), 7 (zincsulfide), 18 (calcium carbonate), 19 (clay), 20 (mica titanium), 21(barium sulfate), 22 (natural barium sulfate), 23 (gloss white), 24(alumina white), 25 (plaster), 26 (magnesium oxide and silicon oxide),27 (silica) and 28 (anhydrous calcium silicate) are exemplified.

Among these, titanium oxides are preferable since the titanium oxidesare excellent in the coloring property, the concealing property anddispersion particle diameter and excellent visibility (brightness) canbe obtained.

Among the titanium oxides, general rutile type titanium oxide ispreferable as the white pigment. As the rutile type titanium oxide,self-produced titanium oxide or commercially available titanium oxidemay be used. As an industrial production method in the case where therutile type titanium oxide (powdery) is self-produced, known methodssuch as a sulfate method and a chlorine method in the related art can beexemplified.

As a commercially available rutile type titanium oxide, Tipaque(registered trademark) CR-60-2, CR-67, R-980, R-780, R-850, R-980,R-630, R-670, and PF-736 (hereinbefore, product names, all manufacturedby ISHIHARA SANGYO KAISHA, LTD.) can be exemplified.

A 50% average particle diameter of titanium oxide (hereinafter, referredto as “D50”) is preferably to be in the range of 50 nm to 500 nm, andmore preferably in the range of 150 nm to 350 nm. When the D50 is in therange, an image with high image quality can be formed since the frictionresistance of a recorded material and the visibility of an image becomeexcellent.

Here, “50% average particle diameter of titanium oxide” in thespecification means D50 of titanium oxide which exists in the inkcomposition, not D50 of titanium oxide before the ink composition isprepared. In addition, the “50% average particle diameter” in thespecification means 50% average particle diameter in terms of a spheredetermined by a dynamic light scattering method and is a value obtainedas follows.

Particles in a dispersion medium are irradiated with a light and thediffraction scattered light being generated is measured by detectorsarranged at the front, the lateral and the rear sides of the dispersionmedium. It is assumed that a particle which originally has anindeterminate form is spherical, and a cumulative curve is acquired bysetting the entire volume of a particle group converted to a spherehaving a volume equivalent to that of the particle to 100%, and thepoint at which cumulative value becomes 50% during that time is set to“50% average particle diameter using a dynamic light scattering methodin terms of the sphere.”

In the case where titanium oxide is used as the white pigment, thetitanium oxide is preferably surface-treated with alumina silica inorder to suppress photocatalysis. The amount of the surface treatment(amount of alumina silica) at the time may be in the range of about 5%by mass to 20% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) ofthe white pigment which is surface-treated.

Furthermore, the content of the white pigment, which varies depending onthe kind of a pigment being used, is preferably in the range of 1% bymass to 30% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 1% by mass to15% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of the inkcomposition from the viewpoint of ensuring an excellent coloringproperty. Among these, since it is difficult for the titanium oxide toprecipitate and the titanium oxide has an excellent concealing propertyand color reproducibility particularly on the cloth with low brightness,the content of the titanium oxide is preferably in the range of 1% bymass to 20% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 5% by mass to13% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of the inkcomposition. Each white pigment may be used alone, or two or more kindsmay be used in combination.

1-2. Other Coloring Materials

In the ink composition used in the embodiment, coloring materials otherthan those exemplified below can also be used without being particularlylimited. As carbon blacks, which are not particularly limited, furnaceblack, lamp black, acetylene black and channel black (C. I. PigmentBlack 7) can be exemplified. Furthermore, as commercially availablecarbon blacks, No. 2300, 900, MCF88, No. 20B, No. 33, No. 40, No. 45,No. 52, MA7, MA8, MA100, No. 2200B (hereinbefore, product names, allmanufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation), Color Black FW1, FW2,FW2V, FW18, FW200, S150, S160, S170, Printex 35, U, V, 140U, SpecialBlack 6, 5, 4A, 4, 250 (hereinbefore, product names, all manufactured byDegussa AG), Conductex SC, Raven 1255, 5750, 5250, 5000, 3500, 1255, 700(hereinbefore, product names, all manufactured by Columbian Carbon JapanLtd.), Regal 400R, 330R, 660R, Mogul L, Monarch 700, 800, 880, 900,1000, 1100, 1300, 1400, and Elftex 12 (hereinbefore, product names, allmanufactured by Cabot Corporation) are exemplified. The inorganicpigments may each be used alone, or two or more kinds may be used incombination.

As organic pigments, which are not particularly limited, quinacridonepigments, quinacridonequinone pigments, dioxazine pigments,phthalocyanine pigments, anthrapyrimidine pigments, anthanthronepigments, indanthrone pigments, flavanthrone pigments, perylenepigments, diketopyrrolopyrrole pigment, perynone pigments,quinophthalone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, thioindigo pigments,benzimidazolone pigments, isoindolinone pigments, azomethine pigmentsand azo pigments are exemplified. Specific examples of the organicpigments include the following.

As the pigments used in a cyan ink, C. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 3, 15,15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 15:6, 15:34, 16, 18, 22, 60, 65, 66, C. I. VatBlue 4, 60 and the like are exemplified. Among these, at least one of C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3 and 15:4 is preferable.

As the pigments used in a magenta ink, C. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32,37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 48 (Ca), 48 (Mn), 57 (Ca), 57:1, 88, 112, 114, 122,123, 144, 146, 149, 150, 166, 168, 170, 171, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179,184, 185, 187, 202, 209, 219, 224, 245, 254, 264, C. I. Pigment Violet19, 23, 32, 33, 36, 38, 43, 50 and the like are exemplified. Amongthese, one or more types selected from the group formed of C. I. PigmentRed 122, C. I. Pigment Red 202 and C. I. Pigment Violet 19 arepreferable.

As the pigments used in a yellow ink, C. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24, 34, 35, 37, 53, 55, 65, 73, 74,75, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 108, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 120,124, 128, 129, 133, 138, 139, 147, 151, 153, 154, 155, 167, 172, 180,185, 213 and the like are exemplified. Among these, one or more typesselected from the group formed of C. I. Pigment Yellow 74, 155 and 213are preferable.

Moreover, as pigments used in inks having colors other than thosedescribed above, that is, inks such as a green ink or an orange ink,known pigments in the related art are exemplified. The pigment may bealso a clear ink not including a coloring material.

2. Pigment Dispersion

The pigment may be present as a state in which the pigment is dispersedin the ink composition, that is, a pigment dispersion. Here, the pigmentdispersion in the specification includes a pigment dispersing liquid anda pigment slurry (low-viscosity aqueous dispersion).

D50 of dispersion of a white pigment is preferably in the range of 100nm to 600 nm and more preferably in the range of 200 nm to 500 nm. Whenthe D50 is 100 nm or greater, both the concealing property and thecoloring property become excellent. When the D50 is 1 μm or less, bothfixation of the ink and the discharging stability of the ink becomeexcellent.

As the pigment dispersions, which are not limited to the following, aself-dispersing type pigment and a polymer-dispersing type pigment areexemplified.

2-1. Self-Dispersing Type Pigment

The self-dispersing type pigment is a pigment which can be dispersed ordissolved in an aqueous medium without a dispersant. Here, “disperse ordissolve in an aqueous medium without a dispersant” refers to a statewhere the pigment is stably present in an aqueous medium due to ahydrophilic group on the surface even if a dispersant for dispersing thepigment is not used. For this reason, an ink in which foaming resultingfrom deterioration of a defoaming property caused by the dispersantpractically does not occur, and which has an excellent dischargingstability is easily prepared. In addition, since significant increase inthe viscosity caused by the dispersant is sufficiently suppressed, morepigment can be contained, print density can be sufficiently increased,and therefore handling is easy.

The hydrophilic group is preferably a hydrophilic group of one or moretypes selected from the group formed of —OM, —COOM, —CO—, —SO₃M, —SO₂M,—SO₂NH₂, —RSO₂M, —PO₃HM, —PO₃M₂, —SO₂NHCOR, —NH₃ and —NR₃.

Moreover, in these chemical formulas, M represents a hydrogen atom, analkali metal, ammonium, a phenyl group which may have a substituent oran organic ammonium, and R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12carbon atoms or a naphthyl group which may have a substituent. Inaddition, M and R are respectively selected independently of each other.

For example, the self-dispersing type pigment is produced by bonding(grafting) the hydrophilic group to the pigment surface by means ofperforming physical or chemical treatment to the pigment. As thephysical treatment, a vacuum plasma treatment and the like areexemplified. In addition, as the chemical treatment, a wet oxidationmethod in which the pigment surface is oxidized by an oxidant in waterand a method of bonding a carboxyl group via a phenyl group by means ofbonding p-aminobenzoic acid to the pigment surface and the like areexemplified.

2-2. Polymer-Dispersing Type Pigment

The polymer-dispersing type pigment is a pigment which is dispersed by apolymer dispersion. As the polymers used in the polymer-dispersing typepigment, which are not limited to the following, the glass transitiontemperature (T_(g)) of the dispersion polymer used in the dispersion ofthe pigment is preferably 55° C. or lower, and more preferably 50° C. orlower. When the T_(g) is 55° C. or lower, the fixation of the ink canbecome excellent.

In addition, the weight average molecular weight of the polymersmeasured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is preferably in therange of 10,000 to 200,000. Accordingly, the storage stability of theink is further improved. Here, the weight average molecular weight (Mw)in the specification can be measured as the weight average molecularweight in terms of polystyrene by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC)of an L7100 system manufactured by Hitachi Ltd.

As the polymers, 70% by mass or greater of the components thereof ispreferably the polymer resulted from copolymerization of (meth)acrylateand (meth)acrylic acid since fixation and glossiness of the ink are moreexcellent. At least one of alkyl (meth)acrylate having 1 to 24 carbonatoms and cyclic alkyl (meth)acrylate having 3 to 24 carbon atoms ispreferably polymerized from monomer components of 70% by weight or more.As specific examples of the monomer components, which are not limited tothe following, methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, propyl(meth)acrylate, n-butyl (meth)acrylate, isobutyl (meth)acrylate, pentyl(meth)acrylate, hexyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, octyl(meth)acrylate, nonyl (meth)acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate, t-butylcyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, lauryl (meth)acrylate, isobornyl(meth)acrylate, cetyl (meth)acrylate, stearyl (meth)acrylate, isostearyl(meth)acrylate, tetramethylpiperidyl (meth)acrylate, dicyclopentanyl(meth)acrylate, dicyclopentenyl (meth)acrylate, dicyclopentenyloxy(meth)acrylate and behenyl (meth)acrylate are exemplified. In addition,as the other monomer components for polymerization, hydroxy(meth)acrylate, urethane (meth)acrylate and epoxy (meth)acrylate whichhave a hydroxyl group such as hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate and diethylene glycol (meth)acrylate can also be used.

2-3. Pigment Coated with Polymer

In addition, a pigment coated with the polymer among thepolymer-dispersing type pigments, that is, a micro-encapsulated pigment,is suitably used since the fixation, the glossiness and the colorreproducibility of the ink are excellent.

The pigment coated with the polymer is obtained by a phase inversionemulsification method. In other words, the polymer is dissolved inorganic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol,acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and dibutyl ether. The pigment is added tothe obtained solution, a neutralizing agent and water are added, and adispersion of an oil-in-water type is adjusted by performing a kneadingand dispersing treatment. Then, the pigment which is coated with apolymer as a water dispersion can be obtained by removing the organicsolvent from the obtained dispersion. For example, a ball mill, a rollmill, a bead mill, a high pressure homogenizer and a high-speed stirringtype disperser and the like can be used in the kneading and dispersaltreatment.

As the neutralizing agents, ethylamine, tertiary amines such astrimethylamine, lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxideand ammonia and the like are preferable. The pH of the obtained aqueousdispersion is preferably in the range of 6 to 10.

As the polymer which coats the pigment, polymers having the weightaverage molecular weight in the range of about 10,000 to 150,000measured by GPC are preferable from the viewpoint of stably dispersingthe pigment.

Among the pigments which are coated with a polymer, a color pigmentwhich is coated with a polymer is preferable. The coloring property of arecorded material becomes excellent by using the color pigment.

3. Resin Emulsion

The ink composition used in the embodiment preferably further includes aresin emulsion. The resin emulsion can make the friction resistance andthe washing fastness of the image portion of the recorded material bemore excellent since when the ink is dried, resins to each other, and aresin and a pigment are fused together, respectively, and the pigment isfixed on the recording medium. Among the resin emulsions, a urethaneresin emulsion and an acrylic resin emulsion are preferable, and aurethane resin emulsion is more preferable. Thus, since the fixation ofthe ink becomes excellent, both the friction resistance and the washingfastness of the recorded material become excellent.

In the case where the resin emulsion is included in the ink composition,the resin emulsion sufficiently fixes the ink composition on therecording medium by forming a resin film on the recording medium andthus, the friction resistance of the recorded material becomesexcellent. For this reason, the resin emulsion is preferably athermoplastic resin. In particular, desired physical properties of thefilm are easily obtained since a urethane resin emulsion has a highflexibility of design.

The urethane resin emulsion is an resin emulsion which has a urethanebond in a molecule. Further, as the urethane resin emulsions, apolyether type urethane resin including an ether bond in a main chain, apolyester type urethane resin including an ester bond in the main chain,and a polycarbonate type urethane resin including a carbonate bond inthe main chain can be used in addition to the urethane bond. As acrylicresin emulsions, those obtained by polymerizing a (meth)acrylic monomersuch as (meth)acrylic acid and (meth)acrylic acid ester, and thoseobtained by copolymerizing a (meth)acrylic monomer and other monomersare exemplified.

Hereinafter, preferred physical properties of the resin emulsion will bedescribed. First, in the temperature range (15° C. to 35° C.) in whichan ink jet recording is generally performed, since it is preferable thatthe resin emulsion have a film-forming property, the T_(g) is preferably0° C. or lower, more preferably −10° C. or lower and still morepreferably −15° C. or lower. In the case where the T_(g) of the resinemulsion is in the above range, the fixation of the ink which adheres tothe recorded material becomes more excellent, and therefore, thefriction resistance of the recorded material becomes more excellent.Moreover, the lower limit of the T_(g), which is not particularlylimited, is preferably −70° C. or higher, and more preferably −50° C. orhigher.

Furthermore, the acid value of the resin emulsion is preferably in therange of 10 mg KOH/g to 100 mg KOH/g and more preferably in the range of15 mg KOH/g to 50 mg KOH/g. When the acid value is 100 mg KOH/g orlower, the excellent washing fastness of a recorded material canmaintained. In addition, when the acid value is 10 mg KOH/g or greater,the storage stability of the ink, the coloring property and the fixationof the ink on the recording medium become excellent. Moreover, the acidvalue in the specification is measured using AT610 manufactured by KyotoElectronics Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and the values calculated byapplying numeric values to the following formula are adopted.

Acid value (mg/g)=(EP1−BL1)×FA1×C1×K1/SIZE

In the formula, EP1 represents a titration amount (mL), BL1 represents ablank value (0.0 mL), FA1 represents a factor of titrant (1.00), C1represents a concentration conversion value (5.611 mg/mL) (amountcorresponding to 1 mL KOH having a concentration of 0.1 mol/L), K1represents a coefficient (1), and SIZE represents the amount of a sample(g).

In addition, since the resin emulsion prevents cracking and breaking ofan image, that is, an ink layer with respect to cloth that easilyexpands or contracts even in the recording medium, and the washingfastness and the friction resistance of the recorded material becomeexcellent, the elongation at a break is preferably in the range of 500%to 1200%, more preferably in the range of 600% to 1200%, andparticularly preferably in the range of 700% to 1200%, and the elasticmodulus is preferably in the range of 20 MPa to 400 MPa.

Here, after preparing a film having a thickness of about 60 μm, theelongation at the break in the specification can be measured under theconditions of a tensile test gauge length of 20 mm and a tensile speedof 100 mm/min. In addition, in a measurement of the elastic modulus inthe specification, after preparing a film having a thickness of about 60μm and forming a dumbbell specimen having a parallel portion width of 10mm and a length of 40 mm, a tensile elastic modulus can be measured byperforming a tensile test based on JIS K7161:1994.

Moreover, to be more specific, the JIS K7161:1994 corresponds to theinternational standard ISO 527-1:1993, the title thereof is a testmethod for the plastic-tensile property, and the standard defines thegeneral principles for measuring the tensile property of a plastic and aplastic composite under the predetermined conditions.

D50 of the resin emulsion is preferably in the range of 30 nm to 300 nm,and more preferably in the range of 80 nm to 300 nm. When D50 is in theabove range, the resin emulsion particles in the ink composition can beuniformly dispersed. In addition, the lower limit value of D50 is morepreferably 100 nm since the friction resistance of a recorded materialbecomes more excellent.

From the viewpoint of the physical properties of the resin emulsiondescribed above, as commercially available products of the urethaneresin emulsion described above, which are not limited to the following,Suncure 2710 (product name, manufactured by The Lubrizol Corp.),Permarin UA-150 (product name, manufactured by Sanyo ChemicalIndustries, Ltd.), Superflex 460, 470, 610, 700 (hereinbefore, productnames, all manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.), NeoRezR-9660, R-9637, R-940 (hereinbefore, product names, all manufactured byKusumoto Chemicals, Ltd.), Adeka Bontighter HUX-380, 290K (hereinbefore,product names, all manufactured by Adeka Co., Ltd.), Takelac (registeredtrademark) W-605, W-635, WS-6021 (hereinbefore, product names, allmanufactured by Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.), Polyether (product name,manufactured by Taisei Finechemical Co., Ltd., T_(g)=20° C.) arepreferably exemplified.

The urethane resin emulsion may be used alone or two or more kinds maybe used in combination.

In addition, the ink composition used in the embodiment preferablyincludes resin emulsions other than the urethane resin emulsion. Amongthe resin emulsions, an anionic resin emulsion is preferable since theanionic resin emulsion can effectively prevent a resin from aggregating.As the anionic resin emulsions, which are not limited to the following,a homopolymer or a copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid, (meth)acrylic acidester, acrylonitrile, cyanoacrylate, acrylamide, olefin, styrene, vinylacetate, vinyl chloride, vinyl alcohol, vinyl ether, vinylpyrrolidone,vinyl pyridine, vinylcarbazole, vinyl imidazole, vinylidene chloride, afluororesin and a natural resin are exemplified. Among these, at leastone of a (meth)acrylic resin and a styrene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymerresin is preferable, at least one of an acrylic resin and astyrene-acrylic acid copolymer resin is more preferable and astyrene-acrylic acid copolymer resin is further more preferable.Moreover, the copolymers may be any form of a random copolymer, a blockcopolymer, an alternating copolymer and a graft copolymer.

As resin emulsions other than the urethane resin emulsion, thoseobtained by materials and preparing method known may be also used, andcommercially available products may be also used. As the commerciallyavailable products, which are not limited to the following, Mowinyl 966A(product name, manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemicals Industry Co.,Ltd., acrylic resin emulsion), Microgel E-1002, Microgel E-5002(hereinbefore, product names, both manufactured by Nippon Paint Co.,Ltd.), Voncoat 4001, Voncoat 5454 (hereinbefore, product names, bothmanufactured by DIC Corp.), SAE1014 (product name, manufactured byNippon Zeon Corp.), Saibinol SK-200 (product name, manufactured by(SAIDEN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.)), JONCRYL 7100, JONCRYL 390,JONCRYL 711, JONCRYL 511, JONCRYL 7001, JONCRYL 632, JONCRYL 741,JONCRYL 450, JONCRYL 840, JONCRYL 74J, JONCRYL HRC-1645J, JONCRYL 734,JONCRYL 852, JONCRYL 7600, JONCRYL 775, JONCRYL 537J, JONCRYL 1535,JONCRYL PDX-7630A, JONCRYL 352J, JONCRYL 352D, JONCRYL PDX-7145, JONCRYL538J, JONCRYL 7640, JONCRYL 7641, JONCRYL 631, JONCRYL 790, JONCRYL 780,JONCRYL 7610 (hereinbefore, product names, all manufactured by BASFCorp.), and NK binder R-5HN (product name, manufactured by Shin-NakamuraChemical Co., acrylic resin emulsion, 44% solid content) areexemplified. Among these, Mowinyl 966A which is an acrylic resinemulsion is preferable since Mowinyl 966A sufficiently satisfiesdesirable physical properties of the resin emulsion described above.

The resin emulsion may be used alone or two or more kinds may be used incombination.

The content of the resin in the resin emulsion is preferably in therange of 3% by mass to 15% by mass, more preferably in the range of 7%by mass to 14% by mass and still more preferably in the range of 8% bymass to 13% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of theink composition. When the content is in the above range, the washingfastness and the friction resistance of a recorded material tend tobecome excellent, the long-term storage stability of the ink compositionis excellent and particularly, there is a tendency that the viscosity ofthe ink composition can be lowered.

4. Cyclic Amide Compound

The ink composition used in the embodiment preferably further includes acyclic amide compound. The cyclic amide compound has a function forimproving the solubility of a lactic acid ester compound in water.Therefore, since when the ink composition also includes a cyclic amidecompound together with the lactic acid ester compound, a solubility of aurethane resin (emulsion) increases and the deposition of foreignmaterials as described above can be more effectively prevented, and thestorage stability, particularly, the storage stability at hightemperatures becomes more excellent.

In addition, since the cyclic amide compound also has the moistureretaining function, the cyclic amide compound can prevent aggregationand solidification caused by evaporation of water in a urethane resin(emulsion), other resins (polymer) and a pigment during a storage of anink. Thus, clogging near the nozzle of a head during an ink jetrecording can be prevented and the discharging stability of the inkcomposition becomes excellent.

As specific examples of the cyclic amide compound, which are not limitedto the following, 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone andN-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone are exemplified. Among these, 2-pyrrolidone ispreferable since a solubility with respect to a resin (polymer) isstrengthened further and the storage stability, particularly, thestorage stability at high temperatures becomes even more excellent.

The cyclic amide compound may be used alone or two or more kinds may beused in combination.

The content of the cyclic amide compound is preferably in the range of0.5% by mass to 5% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 1% bymass to 3% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of anink composition. When the content is in the above range, the frictionresistance and the washing fastness of the recorded material caused bythe long-term storage stability of the ink, the discharging stability ofthe ink, and the excellent fixation of the ink become more excellent.

5. Water-Soluble Solvent

The ink composition used in the embodiment can include a water-solublesolvent and preferably includes water. As the aqueous solvents, waterand water-soluble organic solvents are exemplified. As water, which isnot particularly limited, pure water such as ion exchange water,ultrafiltration water, reverse osmosis water and distilled water orultrapure water can be used. The content of the water, which is notparticularly limited, may be suitably determined as necessary, and maybe preferably in the range of 20% by mass to 80% by mass with respect tothe total mass (100% by mass) of the ink composition in order to adjustthe viscosity of the ink composition to be in the suitable range.

Moreover, to avoid duplication, various additives (components) whichwill be described below do not include the cyclic amide compounds.

6. Penetrating Agent

Since the ink composition used in the embodiment further promotes theaqueous solvent which is a component thereof penetrating into therecording medium, the ink composition may further contain a penetratingagent. A recorded material in which bleeding is small can be obtained byfast penetration of the aqueous solvent into the recording medium.

As the penetrating agents, alkyl ethers (glycol ethers) of polyhydricalcohols and 1,2-alkyldiols are preferably exemplified. As the glycolethers, which are not limited to the following, ethylene glycolmonomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycolmonopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycolmonomethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethyleneglycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, diethyleneglycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether,triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, 1-methyl-1-methoxy butanol,propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether,propylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether,dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether,dipropylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl etherand dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether are exemplified. In addition, asthe 1,2-alkyldiols, which are not limited to the following,1,2-pentanediol and 1,2-hexanediol are exemplified. In addition tothese, diols having a straight-chain hydrocarbon such as1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol,1,7-heptanediol and 1,8-octanediol can also be exemplified.

The penetrating agent may be used alone or two or more kinds may be usedin combination.

The content of the penetrating agent is preferably in the range of 0.1%by mass to 20% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 0.5% by massto 10% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of an inkcomposition. When the content is 0.1% by mass or more, the penetrationinto the recording medium of the ink composition can be increased. Incontrast, when the content is 20% by mass or less, generation ofbleeding in the image can be prevented, and the viscosity of the inkcomposition can be made to be high.

7. Moisturizing Agent

The ink composition used in the embodiment may further include amoisturizing agent (wetting agent). The moisturizing agent can be usedwithout being particularly limited as long as it is generally used inthe ink jet ink. A moisturizing agent having a high boiling point ofwhich the boiling point is preferably 180° C. or higher, and morepreferably 200° C. or higher may be used. In the case where the boilingpoint is in the above range, an excellent water holding property and awetting property can be applied to the ink composition.

As specific examples of the moisturizing agent having a high boilingpoint, which are not limited to the following, ethylene glycol,propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, pentamethyleneglycol, trimethylene glycol, 2-butene-1,4-diol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol,2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, tripropylene glycol, polyethylene glycolhaving a number average molecular weight of 2000 or less, 1,3-propyleneglycol, isopropylene glycol, isobutylene glycol, glycerin,meso-erythritol and pentaerythritol are exemplified.

The moisturizing agent may be used alone or two or more kinds may beused in combination. When the ink composition includes the moisturizingagent having a high boiling point, it is possible to obtain the inkcomposition which can maintain the fluidity and the redispersibility fora long period of time even if the ink composition is left in a statewhere the pigment ink is exposed to air in an open state. Furthermore,in such an ink composition, since the clogging of the nozzle is unlikelyto occur while printing is performed using the ink jet recordingapparatus or at the time of being restarted after an interruption, thedischarging stability of the ink composition becomes excellent. Thecontent of the moisturizing agent is not particularly limited and may besuitably determined as necessary.

Moreover, as described above, in the case where the ink compositionincludes a cyclic amide compound, since the cyclic amide compound has amoisture retaining performance, the cyclic amide compound can be used asthe moisturizing agent.

8. Surfactant

The ink composition used in the embodiment may include a surfactant. Asthe surfactants, at least one of an acetylene glycol-based surfactant,an acetylene alcohol-based surfactant and a polysiloxane-basedsurfactant is preferable. When the ink composition includes thesesurfactants, the drying property of the ink composition adhering to arecording medium becomes more excellent, and high-speed printing becomespossible.

Among these, polysiloxane-based surfactants are more preferable sincethe solubility in the ink is increased and foreign matter is less likelyto be generated.

As the acetylene glycol-based surfactants and the acetylenealcohol-based surfactants, which are not limited to the following, oneor more kinds selected from 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol andalkylene oxide adducts of 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol, and2,4-dimethyl-5-decyne-4-ol and alkylene oxide adducts of2,4-dimethyl-5-decyn-4-ol are preferable. These can be available ascommercially available products such as E series (product name,manufactured by Air Products Japan, Inc.) of Olfine 104 series andOlfine E1010, Surfynol 465 and Surfynol 61 (product names, manufacturedby Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

In addition, as the polysiloxane-based surfactants, BYK-347, BYK-348(product names, manufactured by BYK Japan KK) are exemplified.

The content of the surfactant is preferably in the range of 0.1% by massto 3% by mass with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of the inkcomposition.

9. Other Components

In the ink composition used in the embodiment, various additives such asa moisturizing agent, a solubilizer, a seepage control agent, aviscosity modifier, a pH adjusting agent, a dissolution aid, anantioxidant, a preservative, an antifungal agent, a corrosion inhibitorand a chelating agent for capturing metal ions which affect dispersioncan be suitably added in order to maintain an excellent storagestability thereof and an excellent discharge stability from the head, toimprove anti-clogging performance or to prevent deterioration of theink. The ink composition used in the embodiment is preferably an aqueousink composition which includes mostly water among the volatilecomponents from the viewpoint of safety.

Recording Medium

Next, the recording medium of the embodiment will be described. Therecording medium used in the recording method according to theembodiment, which is not particularly limited, is cloth and paper. Asthe cloth, which is not particularly limited to the following, naturalfibers or synthetic fibers such as silk, cotton, wool, nylon, polyesterand rayon are exemplified. Among these, cotton is preferable sincecotton can endure fixing of the ink composition at high temperatures.

In the case where the recording medium is cloth, since ink droplets aretemporarily trapped by fluff of the cloth surface, it is impossible toreach the cloth surface and, after that, the trapped ink droplets may belocated away from the cloth and become mist which is floating in theair. Accordingly, mist is likely to be generated compared to a case witha recording medium such as paper. For this reason, in the case of cloth,the need to solve the problem by applying the invention is particularlygreat.

Ink Jet Recording Apparatus

The ink jet recording apparatus of the embodiment is not particularlylimited as long as recording is performed by the ink jet recordingmethod, and may have the same configuration as those in the related artas long as it has the configuration described above.

Examples

Hereinafter, the invention will be more specifically described usingExamples and Comparative Examples. The invention is not limited to theseExamples.

1. Material for Ink Composition

The main material for the ink composition used in the following Examplesand Comparative Examples are as follows.

Coloring Material

Titanium dioxide (manufactured by C. I. Kasei Co., Ltd., product name:Nano tek slurry, 15% titanium oxide solid content concentration, 250 nmaverage particle diameter)

Resin Emulsion

Takelac WS-6021 (product name, manufactured by Mitsui ChemicalsPolyurethanes, Inc., 30% solid content, urethane resin)

Dispersant

DEMOL NL (product name, manufactured by Kao Chemical Co., 41% solidcontent)

Organic Solvent

Glycerin

Triethylene glycol

Triethylene glycol monobutyl ether

Silicone-Based Surfactant

BYK-348 (product name, manufactured by BYK Co., Ltd.)

2. Preparation of White Ink

By mixing according to the composition (% by mass) shown in Table 1described below and sufficiently stirring, ink compositions 1 and 2 wereobtained. In Table 1, the values of Takelac WS-6021 and a dispersantDEMOL NL are the used amounts including the solvent component other thanthe solid content, the value of titanium dioxide is the amount of thesolid content, and the value of the solid content (%) is the amount ofsolid content in the ink.

TABLE 1 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6Example 7 Ink composition 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 Distance between 19.5 19.5 19.519.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 nozzle arrays mm Amount of the ink 7 14 7 7 7 9 7 ofink droplet ng Nozzle density dpi 720 720 720 720 720 720 720Discharging 43.2 21.6 43.2 43.2 14.4 43.2 43.2 frequency kHz Recordingmedium Cloth Cloth Normal paper Cloth Cloth Cloth Cloth Recording mediumAcryl plate Acryl plate Acryl plate Aluminum Acryl plate Acryl plateAcryl plate support portion material Dot formation 8640 × 1440 4320 ×1440 8640 × 1440 8640 × 1440 2880 × 1440 8640 × 1440 8640 × 1440 densitydpi Adhered amount of 174 174 174 174 58 224 174 the ink mg/inch²Contamination by B A A A A B A adhesion of ink onto nozzle plateCleaning B A A A A B A frequency Concealing B B B B C A C property ofimage Printing speed B B B B B B B Drying speed B D B B B B B

3. Recording Medium

As the recording medium, T-shirt cloth (heavyweight black texturemanufactured by HANES Inc.) of 100% cotton and normal paper (Xerox P)were used.

4. Ink Jet Recording Apparatus

A printer GS6000 (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) which wasremodeled was used (hereinafter, referred to as “remodeled GS6000printer”). The remodeled portions include a head described below, adischarging mechanism and a recording medium support portion material.

The head in which a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array havethe nozzles which have rows aligned in a staggered arrangement as shownin FIG. 1 was prepared. Specifically, (1) heads of which the distance L1between nozzle arrays was set to 19.5 mm and the nozzle density L2 wasset to 720 dpi, (2) heads of which the distance L1 between nozzle arrayswas set to 12 mm and the nozzle density L2 was set to 720 dpi, (3) headsof which the distance L1 between nozzle arrays was set to 19.5 mm andthe nozzle density L2 was set to 360 dpi, and (4) heads of which thedistance L1 between nozzle arrays was set to 12 mm and the nozzledensity L2 was set to 360 dpi, respectively, were prepared. In the headof which the nozzle density was set to 360 dpi, since the nozzle arraywas constructed so as to use every other nozzle in the nozzle array withthe nozzle density L2 of 720 dpi, the number of nozzles (the number ofnozzles being used) became half, the number of nozzles of (1) and (2)was set to 720 and the number of nozzles of (3) and (4) was set to 360,and the length of the nozzle array in the direction of the nozzle arraywas set to be the same in (1) to (4).

The discharging mechanism which can control the discharging frequencywith the driving frequency of one recording cycle of 7.2 kHz and thedriving pulse frequency of 43.2 kHz, and can adjust the amount of theink per one ink droplet to be in the range of 7 ng to 14 ng by adjustingthe potential difference between a voltage VL and a voltage VH wasprepared. However, in the case where the amount of the ink per one inkdroplet is 14 ng, since the amount of the ink per one ink droplet islarge, the adjustment was performed by preparing other heads having alarger nozzle diameter and a larger volume of a pressure chamber.Specific control of the discharging frequency was performed as follows.In the case where the discharging frequency is 21.6 kHz, the dischargewas performed by applying only three driving pulses to every other ofsix driving pulses PAPS to the piezoelectric element, and in the casewhere the discharging frequency is 14.4 kHz, the discharge was performedby applying only two pulses to every two out of six driving pulses tothe piezoelectric element, and in the case where the dischargingfrequency is 7.2 kHz, the discharge was performed by applying only onepulse to every five out of six driving pulses to the piezoelectricelement.

The recording medium support portion material of which the surfacematerial is an acrylic plate and an aluminum plate was prepared.

6. Ink Jet Recording Method (Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1to 10)

The ink composition 1 or 2 which was prepared as described above adheredto the recording medium using the remodeled GS6000 printer by an ink jetmethod. More specifically, the ink composition was discharged at apredetermined discharging frequency and a predetermined amount of theink from the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array, and the inkcomposition was adhered to the recording medium. The dot formationdensity was set to a predetermined value and a solid pattern image wasrecorded on a recording medium of A4 size. The discharging frequency,the amount of the ink and the dot formation density are as shown inTables 2 and 3.

Moreover, the term “solid pattern image” in the specification means animage on a recording medium in which dots are recorded with respect toan entire pixel of a pixel which is a minimum recording unit areadefined by a recording resolution.

The cloth onto which the ink composition 1 or 2 was adhered washeat-treated at 160° C. for 1 minute using a heat press machine to fixthe ink composition 1 or 2 on the cloth. In this manner, a recordedmaterial in which an image was formed (ink was printed) on the cloth wasprepared. At this time, the following evaluation was performed withrespect to the obtained recorded material.

7. Evaluation Item Adhered Amount of Ink (Mg/Inch⁷)

The adhered amount of the ink was obtained from the dot formationdensity by the following formula. Moreover, “×2” is in the formula belowbecause the same amount of the ink was adhered by the first nozzle arrayand the second nozzle array, respectively. In other words, in the casewhere the dot formation position by the first nozzle array and the dotformation position by the second nozzle array on the recording medium,and the adhered amount of the ink from each of the first nozzle arrayand the second nozzle array were set to exactly the same, the dotformation by the first nozzle array, and the entire dot formation by thefirst nozzle array and the second nozzle array were compared, the dotformation density was the same, and the adhered amount of the ink of thelatter was doubled with respect to the former.

Adhered amount of the ink (mg/inch²)=amount of the ink of ink droplet(ng)×dot formation density in the horizontal direction (dpi)×dotformation density in the vertical direction (dpi)×2×10.

Contamination by Adhesion of Ink onto Nozzle Plate

With the ink composition 1 or 2 shown in Table 1, a solid image of 20cm×20 cm was printed on T-shirt cloth (heavyweight black texturemanufactured by HANES Inc.) of 100% cotton which was set to the size ofabout A4 size, using the remodeled GS6000 printer. The contamination bythe ink between two nozzle arrays on a nozzle plate after 50 sheets wereprinted was visually observed. The evaluation criteria of contaminationby adhesion of the ink onto the nozzle plate are shown below. Moreover,in all examples, the contamination by the ink was rarely observed on theouter side of the first and second nozzle arrays.

Evaluation Criteria

A: Contamination of a nozzle was not observed.B: Slight adhesion of the ink between the nozzle arrays was observed.However, adhesion of the ink around the nozzles was slightly observed.C: Adhesion of the ink around the nozzles was observed.D: Most of the nozzle plate was covered with the ink.

Cleaning Frequency

With the ink composition 1 or 2 shown in Table 1, a solid image wasprinted on the cloth at the same time as evaluation of contamination byadhesion of the ink onto a nozzle plate under the same conditions, usingthe remodeled GS6000 printer, and the nozzles were inspected for thepresence of undischarged nozzles each time one sheet was printed. It wasdetermined that cleaning is needed at the time when 0.3% or greater ofthe number of nozzles with respect to the total number of nozzles useddo not discharge. The cleaning frequency was evaluated according to thefollowing criteria based on the number of printed sheets at the timewhen cleaning was determined to be needed.

Evaluation Criteria

A: 81 sheets or moreB: 51 sheets to 80 sheetsC: 21 sheets to 50 sheetsD: 20 sheets or fewer

Concealing Property of Image

The first printed material in the evaluation of contamination byadhesion of ink onto a nozzle plate was evaluated. Specifically, L*value was measured by a colorimetric device (product name, “GretagMacbeth Spectrolino” manufactured by X-RITE Co., Ltd.), and theconcealing property of the image was evaluated according to thefollowing evaluation criteria based on the obtained L* value.

Evaluation Criteria

A: 90 or greaterB: 80 to less than 90C: 70 to less than 80D: Less than 70

Printing Speed

With the ink composition 1 or 2 shown in Table 1, a solid image of 20cm×20 cm was printed on T-shirt cloth (heavyweight black texturemanufactured by HANES Inc.) of 100% cotton which was set to the size ofabout A4 size using the remodeled GS6000 printer. The printing speed wasevaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Criteria

B: The same as Example 1D: More than twice the number of passes (main scanning number) werenecessary compared to Example 1

Drying Speed

With the ink composition shown in Table 1, after printing one whitesolid image in the same manner as in the evaluation of the contaminationby the adhesion of the ink onto the nozzle plate, immediately, a solidimage (ink droplet 7 ng, dot density 4320×720 dpi) of 10 cm×10 cm insidethe white solid image using the cyan ink was doubly printed by a Cnozzle lane in FIG. 1 using the remodeled GS6000 printer. The bleedingat a boundary of the white image and the color image was visuallyobserved. As the cyan ink, an ink in which cyan pigment, Pigment Blue15:3 (manufactured by Clariant Co., Ltd.) of 4% by mass instead oftitanium dioxide in the white ink composition 2 was included wasadjusted to be used. The boundary region of the white solid image andthe cyan image was visually observed.

Evaluation Criteria

B: There is no bleedingD: There is bleeding

TABLE 2 Comparative Comparative Comparative Comparative ComparativeComparative Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6Ink No. 1 1 1 1 1 1 Distance between 12 12 19.5 12 19.5 12 nozzle arraysmm Amount of the ink 7 14 7 7 7 7 of ink droplet ng Nozzle density dpi720 720 360 360 720 720 Discharging 43.2 21.6 43.2 43.2 7.2 7.2frequency kHz Recording medium Cloth Cloth Cloth Cloth Cloth ClothRecording medium Acryl plate Acryl plate Acryl plate Acryl plate Acrylplate Acryl plate support portion material Dot formation 8640 × 14404320 × 1440 8640 × 1440 8640 × 1440 1440 × 1440 2880 × 1440 density dpiAdhered amount of 174 174 174 174 29 58 the ink mg/inch² Contaminationby D C A A A B adhesion of ink onto nozzle plate Cleaning frequency D CA A A B Concealing B B B B D C property of image Printing speed B B D DB D Drying speed B D B B B B Comparative Comparative ComparativeComparative Example 7 Example 8 Example 9 Example 10 Ink No. 1 1 1 1Distance between 12 12 12 12 nozzle arrays mm Amount of the ink 7 7 7 7of ink droplet ng Nozzle density dpi 720 720 720 720 Discharging 7.243.2 43.2 14.4 frequency kHz Recording medium Cloth Normal paper ClothCloth Recording medium Acryl plate Acryl plate Aluminum Acryl platesupport portion material Dot formation 1440 × 1440 8640 × 1440 8640 ×1440 2880 × 1440 density dpi Adhered amount of 29 174 174 58 the inkmg/inch² Contamination by B C C D adhesion of ink onto nozzle plateCleaning frequency B C C D Concealing D B B C property of image Printingspeed B B B B Drying speed B B B B

TABLE 3 Ink composition 1 2 Titanium dioxide 8 4 Takelac WS-6021 26.713.4 Dispersant DEMOL NL 1.2 0.6 Glycerin 7 7 Triethylene glycol 3 3Triethylene glycol monobutyl ether 1 1 BYK-348 0.3 0.3 Ion exchangewater balance balance Total 100 100 Solid content (%) 16.5 8.3

From the results above, in the case of using the ink jet recordingmethod which it was found that satisfies requirements of the invention,the adhesion of the ink composition to a nozzle plate is unlikely tooccur, the cleaning frequency is low, images with the excellentconcealing property can be printed and the printing speed is excellent.In contrast, it was found that in Comparative Examples 1, 2, and 8 to 10in which the distance between the nozzles of the first array and thesecond array is small, contamination by the adhesion of the inkcomposition to the nozzle plate occurs and the cleaning frequency ishigh.

In Comparative Examples 3 and 4, since the nozzle density is low and thenumber of nozzles (the number of nozzles being used) is small, there isa need to increase the number of passes in order to set a predeterminedadhered amount of the ink, and a large number of passes means thatsub-scanning between passes also increases, and therefore, the effect onthe reduction of the printing speed is large. Moreover, in ComparativeExamples 3 and 4, it is also conceivable that while setting the nozzledensity to 360 dpi, by doubling the length in the sub-scanning directionof the nozzle array, the number of nozzles is doubled, and therefore,the number of nozzles becomes the same as in Example 1. However, in thiscase, the length in the sub-scanning direction of the head increases,and therefore, it is not preferable from the viewpoint ofminiaturization of the recording apparatus.

In Comparative Examples 5 and 7, the frequency of the discharge is low.However, since the number of passes is the same as in Example 1, theprinting speed was not decreased. However, the dot formation densitydecreased and the adhered amount of the ink became small, and therefore,the concealing property of the image was reduced. In Comparative Example6, by doubling the number of passes compared with Comparative Example 7,the dot formation density and the adhered amount of the ink wereincreased. However, the printing speed was reduced.

Moreover, in Example 3 and Comparative Example 8, normal paper was usedas a recording medium. However, deformation was observed on therecording medium by increasing the adhered amount of the ink.

Furthermore, in the case where the amount of the ink of the ink dropletis large, it was found that ink stains and the cleaning frequency tendto be comparatively improved, and the drying speed tends to be reduced.On the other hand, in the case where the amount of the ink of the inkdroplet is small, in addition to the excellent drying speed, dots can beformed at a high dot formation density without reducing the printingspeed, and this is advantageous from the viewpoint of a high-definitionpatterning of an image. On the other hand, from a fact that the inkstains and the cleaning frequency tended to be deteriorated, it wasfound that the invention is particularly useful.

The ink jet recording method of the invention is industrially applicableas a method which records an ink composition on a recording medium,particularly cloth.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No.:2013-027616,filed Feb. 15, 2013 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. An ink jet recording method, wherein an ink jethead having a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array which isarranged along the first nozzle array, in which the distance between thefirst nozzle array and the second nozzle array is 15 mm or greater and anozzle density of the first nozzle array and a nozzle density of thesecond nozzle array are 600 dpi or greater is used, and while varyingthe relative position of the ink jet head in a direction intersecting anarray direction of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle arraywith respect to a recording medium, an ink composition is adhered to therecording medium by performing a scanning which discharges the inkcomposition at a frequency of 12 kHz or greater from nozzles in thefirst nozzle array and the second nozzle array, and wherein the inkcomposition includes a solid content of 7% by mass or greater.
 22. Theink jet recording method according to claim 21, wherein an adheredamount of the ink composition with respect to the recording medium is150 mg/inch² or greater.
 23. The ink jet recording method according toclaim 21, wherein the solid content is 12% by mass or greater.
 24. Theink jet recording method according to claim 21, wherein the inkcomposition includes a coloring material, a resin emulsion and awater-soluble solvent.
 25. The ink jet recording method according toclaim 21, wherein the ink composition is a white ink compositionincluding titanium oxide.
 26. The ink jet recording method according toclaim 21, wherein recording is performed by performing a plurality ofthe scannings.
 27. The ink jet recording method according to claim 21,wherein the recording medium is cloth.
 28. The ink jet recording methodaccording to claim 21, wherein the recording medium is supported by arecording medium support portion having a surface formed of a resin,from the opposite side of the side opposed to the ink jet head of therecording medium.
 29. The ink jet recording method according to claim21, wherein a once discharged ink amount of the ink composition which isdischarged from one nozzle is 10 ng or less.
 30. The ink jet recordingmethod according to claim 21, wherein the ink jet head has anothernozzle array for discharging another ink composition different from theink composition on at least one side of the side which is on theopposite side of the second nozzle array, of the first nozzle array andthe side which is on the opposite side of the first nozzle array, of thesecond nozzle array.
 31. An ink jet recording apparatus, whereinrecording is performed by the ink jet recording method according toclaim
 21. 32. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein recording isperformed by the ink jet recording method according to claim
 22. 33. Anink jet recording apparatus, wherein recording is performed by the inkjet recording method according to claim
 23. 34. An ink jet recordingapparatus, wherein recording is performed by the ink jet recordingmethod according to claim
 24. 35. An ink jet recording apparatus,wherein recording is performed by the ink jet recording method accordingto claim
 25. 36. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein recording isperformed by the ink jet recording method according to claim
 26. 37. Anink jet recording apparatus, wherein recording is performed by the inkjet recording method according to claim
 27. 38. An ink jet recordingapparatus, wherein recording is performed by the ink jet recordingmethod according to claim
 28. 39. An ink jet recording apparatus,wherein recording is performed by the ink jet recording method accordingto claim
 29. 40. The ink jet recording method according to claim 21,wherein the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array areconfigured to discharge ink compositions having the same composition aseach other.